Revista176 Colombiana de Entomología 36 (1): 176-178 (2010)

Nota científica

New record and ecological notes of Phimophorus spissicornis (: Heteroptera: : Phimophorinae) in

Nuevo registro y notas ecológicas de Phimophorus spissicornis (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Phimophorinae) en Colombia

DUVERNEY CHAVERRA-RODRÍGUEZ1, DIMITRI FORERO2, NICOLÁS JARAMILLO O.3 y OMAR TRIANA CH.3

Abstract: Phimophorus spissicornis, the enigmatic and exclusively Neotropical representative of the Phimophorinae (Heteroptera: Reduviidae), is recorded for the first time from Colombia. Six adult specimens and one nymph were col- lected in the municipalities of Vegachí and San Carlos, department of Antioquia. In both localities P. spissicornis was collected from palms (Arecaceae) in association with Rhodnius pallescens (Reduviidae: ). Phimophorus spissicornis was found on the axils of palm fronds of Attalea butyracea and Oenocarpus bataua. Dorsal habitus illustra- tions of the male, female, and late instar nymph of P. spissicornis are provided.

Key words: Attalea. Rhodnius pallescens. Arecaceae.

Resumen: Phimophorus spissicornis, el enigmático representante exclusivamente neotropical de Phimophorinae (He- teroptera: Reduviidae), se registra por primera vez para Colombia. Seis especimenes adultos y una ninfa fueron recolec- tados en los municipios de Vegachí y San Carlos, departamento de Antioquia. En ambas localidades P. spissicornis fue recolectado en palmas (Arecaceae) en asociación con Rhodnius pallescens (Reduviidae: Triatominae). Phimophorus spissicornis se encontró en las brácteas de las palmas Attalea butyracea y Oenocarpus bataua. Se presentan imágenes del hábito en vista dorsal para macho, hembra y último instar de P. spissicornis

Palabras clave: Attalea. Rhodnius pallescens. Arecaceae.

Introduction unknown primarily because specimens are very scarce in col- lections, thereby preventing its inclusion in cladistic analyses Phimophorinae Handlirsch, 1897 (Heteroptera: Reduviidae) of the family (e.g., Weirauch 2008). Additional specimens of is a small and enigmatic assassin bug subfamily, with just two this are needed for future phylogenetic analyses. genera and three species known, the monotypic Phimophorus Phimophorus has been recorded so far from Brazil and Bergroth, 1886 and Mendanocoris Miller, 1956, with two spe- Ecuador (Carayon et al. 1958; Lent and Jurberg 1977). Be- cies (Maldonado 1990). Phimophorus spissicornis Bergroth, cause specimens of Phimophorus are seldom collected, little 1886 is the only Neotropical representative (Usinger and is known about its biology and natural history (Schuh and Wygodzinsky 1964; Maldonado 1990). Among the Reduvii- Slater 1995). The only biological information available for P. dae subfamilies, Phimophorinae can be distinguished by the spissicornis is its association with bananas and bromeliads. following combination of characters: presence of waxy se- The specimens on bananas were intercepted at ports of entry cretions on the cuticle; body depressed; antennae inserted at in the United States (Carayon et al. 1958), while the speci- the apex of head, distal flagellomere reduced; antenniferous mens from bromeliads came from a single collection event tubercles plate-like, covering the insertions of the antennae; (Lent and Jurberg 1977; Lent and Wygodzinsky 1979); there- buccula present; prosternal sulcus with lateral shield-like fore, no generalizations can be made from these data. structures; and bisegmented tarsus (Usinger and Wygodz- As part of the Triatominae survey efforts by the Grupo insky 1964). Phimophorus can be distinguished from Men- de Chagas of the Universidad de Antioquia, several speci- danocoris by having the distal flagellomere free; the clypeus mens of Phimophorus were collected in 1990 and 2006. In reduced; the labrum very small; the buccula closed anteri- this paper we present the first formal record of the subfamily orly; and by the different shape of the pronotum (Usinger and Phimophorinae for Colombia and provide detailed informa- Wygodzinsky 1964). tion on the habitat of P. spissicornis. The systematic placement of Phimophorinae has been problematic and widely discussed (Bergroth 1886; Hand- Materials and Methods lirsch 1897a, b; Usinger 1943; Wygodzinsky 1948; Carayon et al. 1958; Usinger and Wygodzinsky 1964). Furthermore, Specimens of P. spissicornis (Fig. 1) were initially collected the phylogenetic position of Phimophorus in Reduviidae is at San Carlos (Department of Antioquia) in February 1990.

1 Associate Researcher. Biologist. Grupo Biología y Control de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Instituto de Biología.Universidad de Antioquia. A.A. 1226. [email protected]. Author for correspondence. 2 Postdoctoral Researcher. Ph. D. Heteroptera Systematics Laboratory. Department of Entomology, University of California Riverside, Riverside 92521, USA. [email protected]. 3 Professor. Ph. D. Grupo Biología y Control de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Instituto de Biología. Universidad de Antioquia. A.A. 1226. Ecological notes of Phimophorus spissicornis 177

The municipality of San Carlos is in the east region of An- sociation with adults and nymphs of R. pallescens in San Car- tioquia. There the mean annual temperature is 23°C, annual los. Two adult specimens of P. spissicornis were collected be- rainfall is 2,000 mm and elevation 1,000 m. The surveyed tween the sheaths of A. butyracea in association with R. pall- locality was “vereda Jardín, Finca El Silencio” (06°07’45”N, escens in Vegachí. In the six palms of A. butyracea surveyed 74°49’57”W). The locality was visited in February 1990 dur- in the municipality of Victoria, only adults and nymphs of R. ing the dry season. A total of 13 palms of Oenocarpus bataua pallescens were found but no specimens of P. spissicornis. Mart., 1823 (Arecaceae) were examined. Because specimens Surveyed palms of O. bataua in Vegachí, and E. oleifera in of P. spissicornis were found among specimens of Rhodnius Victoria, harbored neither P. spissicornis nor R. pallescens pallescens Barber, 1932 (Reduviidae: Triatominae) in San specimens. Carlos, additional fieldwork intending to collect R. palle- Examined material. Phimophorus spissicornis. 2 M, scens prompted the search for specimens of Phimophorus in 2 F, 1 nymph. COLOMBIA, Antioquia, San Carlos, Vere- Vegachí and Victoria during 2006. da Jardín, Finca “El Silencio”, 6-feb-1990, Jaramillo N, in The municipality of Vegachí is located in the Nor­theast Oenocarpus bataua [as “Jessenia polycarpa”], [1 M, 1 F, 1 of Antioquia. The mean annual temperature is 23°C, mean nymph, AMNH; 1M, 1 F, CEUA]. 2 F. COLOMBIA, Antio- relative humidity 75%, and mean annual rainfall is 2,100 quia, Vegachí, 1 km de la cabecera municipal, “La Piscina” mm. The locality is a rural zone about 1 km east from 6º46’01’’N 74º47’40”W, 982 msnm, 9-sep-2006, Chaverra the municipality town, at 982 m elevation (6°46’01”N, D. & Gómez L, [1 F, AMNH; 1 F, CEUA]. 74°47’40”W). This locality was visited in September 2006 during the rainy season. Two palms of Attalea butyracea Distribution and ecology. The holotype of P. spissicornis (Mutis ex L. f.) Wess. Boer, 1782 were examined next to was collected in Brazil with no specific locality or additional “El Volcán” river. In addition, one palm of O. bataua, at biological information (Bergroth 1886; Wygodzinsky 1948). the “vereda La Leona”, was examined. Palm leaves were The specimens from Ecuador mentioned by Carayon et al. dissected using an ax, and the sheath and petiole carefully (1958) also have no detailed locality information. In Colom- examined for reduviid specimens. bia, 15 Reduviidae subfamilies are known, with about 95 The municipality of Victoria is located in the northeast genera recorded so far (Forero 2004, 2006). This is the first of Caldas. The mean annual temperature is 26°C, mean time that the subfamily Phimophorinae is recorded from Co- relative humidity is 75%, and mean annual rainfall is 2,000 lombia. mm. The surveyed locality is at kilometer 20 on the road The palms A. butyracea and O. bataua, are widely dis- from the municipality of La Dorada to the municipality of tributed in the country, as well as in Central America and in Norcasia (5°34’30”N, 74º52’05”W), at 780 m elevation. the Andean region of South America (Henderson et al. 1995). The locality was visited in November 2006 during the rainy The structure of palms, especially the persistent petioles and season. Six palms of A. butyracea were examined. In ad- the large crown of leaves, form a suitable number of micro- dition, debris from the sheath and petioles of two palms habitats, which harbor a diverse assemblage of that of Elaeis oleifera (Kunth) was examined for presence of use the palms as refuge or permanent habitation (Couturier specimens. and Kahn 1992; Delobel et al. 1995; Chang and Ling 1998; The collected specimens of P. spissicornis were deposited Gurgel-Gonçalves et al. 2006). The arthropods inhabiting in the entomological collection of the American Museum of these microhabitats may serve as prey for predatory Natural History, New York, NY, USA [AMNH]; and in the like reduviids. The finding of a late instar nymph together Colección Entomológica de la Universidad de Antioquia, with adults in palms more >3 m tall, suggests that feeding of Medellín, Colombia [CEUA]. P. spissicornis occurs in these microhabitats. We were unable to determine the prey preference of Phimophorus in the field, however, because of the large number of arthropods present in the axils of the palms. The presence of P. spissicornis on bananas and bromeli- ads suggests that palms may not be the only habitat for this species. Nonetheless, it is not known if P. spissicornis is com- mon in those habitats or merely a casual encounter. Finding adults of P. spissicornis on two palm species, in two localities separated from each other by > 50 km, in similar ecological conditions, as well as the discovery of a nymph, reinforces the idea that the microhabitat formed among the leaves of the palm species, may offer adequate conditions for the develop- ment of P. spissicornis. Specimens of P. spissicornis in Colombia were always as- Figure 1. Phimophorus spissicornis, habitus, dorsal view. A. Male. B. sociated with R. pallescens. The association of P. spissicornis Female. C. Late instar nymph. with species of Triatominae has been shown previously with Microtriatoma borbai Lent and Wygodzinsky, 1979 (Bol- boderini) (Lent and Jurberg 1977; Lent and Wygodzinsky Results 1979). Our report of a second instance of association of P. spissicornis in the same habitat with another species of Tri- Four adults and one late instar nymph of P. spissicornis were atominae is remarkable, although the nature of this associa- collected between the axils of the fronds of O. bataua in as- tion will depend on further research. 178 Revista Colombiana de Entomología Duverney Chaverra-Rodríguez y cols.

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